Time Flies
The Stories After the Story
By Colin P. McGuire
Senior Editor/Writer
As we continue Penn Lines’ 60th anniversary celebration, we catch up with two readers who once graced our pages.
'More to life'
Being a Penn Lines cover star can lead to so many things: exposure, notoriety, fame. And yet, in the case of Valley Rural Electric Cooperative (REC) member George Bange, it led to even more.
“Oh, yeah, I got rich off being on that cover,” he says — tongue in cheek — with a laugh. “To be honest, I don’t remember getting my photo taken. It was such a long time ago; I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast today.”
Bange appeared on Penn Lines’ cover in November 2001, offering a wry smile as he sat in a cave, providing the leading image for the cover story, “A Craving for Caving.” The article chronicled the story of Bange and his wife, Karen, who purchased the property surrounding Rupert Cave in Mifflin County, which people have been visiting for more than 140 years — based on records and etchings on its walls.
The couple has since devoted much of their lives to improving and preserving the site while also leading tours.
CAVE'S CAREGIVERS: George Bange, a member of Valley Rural Electric Cooperative, continues to give tours of Rupert Cave in Mifflin County. He and his wife, Karen, purchased the property and their story was chronicled in the November 2001 issue of Penn Lines. Above, Bange recreates the cover image of that issue, which was taken 25 years ago. Photo courtesy of George and Karen Bange
“The biggest change for me since that photo was taken was that we got older,” George says. “The cave itself hasn’t changed, but we can’t do as much caving anymore. I just turned 67, and that’s a young person’s activity.
“For 25 years, Karen and I led every trip into that cave,” he adds. “But we’re starting to really slow down, and we’re trying to get other people involved who can protect the cave and show people around.”
George’s longtime goal was to travel to the very back of the cave, even as he hit 60 years old. Not only did he achieve that, but he’s also made the trip each year since then.
His policy since the article’s publication has been to schedule six trips per year with six people per trip (To learn more, visit karst.org/index.php/rupert-cave-preserve).
As for his star turn as the November 2001 “cover boy,” George says he was happy to spread the word about caving within Penn Lines’ pages, if only to help educate folks near and far about the importance of keeping caves functional and pristine.
“It’s been a treat to meet so many people through the years,” he says. “We’ve had clubs come from all over, so it’s been fun. We’ll always love owning that property.”
A photo and a turning point
Adams Electric Cooperative’s Tom Knaub didn’t find himself on the cover of Penn Lines, but he does have fond memories of being featured in one of its earliest issues.
The edition was published in May 1968, only two years after Penn Lines released its inaugural issue. Knaub was 8 years old.
BLUE-RIBBON WINNER: Tom Knaub didn’t know it at the time, but a winning electrical exhibit — and a shout-out in Penn Lines nearly 60 years ago — would change his life. It led to a career in the electrical field and his current role as a board member for Gettysburg-based Adams Electric Cooperative. He is also a director for Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc., the co-op’s wholesale energy provider.
“The article was about the first York County 4-H Electric Club Roundup [sponsored by Adams Electric]. They were teaching kids about basic electricity; I look a little younger in the picture than I look right now,” he says, laughing.
Knaub was photographed for the magazine after receiving a blue ribbon for his exhibit. He says a career in electricity wasn’t in the cards until that day, which turned out to be a huge turning point in his life.
Knaub went on to serve a four-year apprenticeship through IBEW Local 229, a York-based electrical workers union, on his way to becoming a job foreman and then the regional superintendent for I.B. Abel, Inc., an electrical contractor in York, where he was employed for almost 40 years. Today, he is a director for Adams Electric and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc., the co-op’s wholesale energy provider.
“My career probably started that day when I was 8 years old,” Knaub says. “It got me interested in electrical things — I loved seeing sparks fly.”
Among the memories he cherishes of being featured in Penn Lines is the impact it had on his mother, who he had a special relationship with. She passed away in 2000.
“She was really excited to see me in there,” Knaub says. “She had a diary from age 7 to 70 and all these other personal things we didn’t know she had, including this copy of Penn Lines with the article I was in. Both my parents always loved reading the magazine.”
Now retired, Knaub appreciates the journey he’s taken since that moment in 1968.
